Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-08-03

tive power and propulsion. We want a
the same time stout brakes to let down a
the right instant. 1t is dismal thing afte
hearer has comprehended the whole sub
ject to hear man say, 'Now to recapitu
late," and "a few words by way of apple
ation," and sonce more" and finally,
and "now to conclude"
| Paul preached until midnight, an(
Eutychus got sound asleep and fell out of
window and broke his neck. Some would
say: "Good for him." would rather b.
sympathetic like Paul and resuscitate him
That accident is often quoted now in re-
ligious circles as warning against som
nolence in church. It is just as much q
warning to ministers against prolixity.
Eutychus was wrong in his somnolence, but
Paul made mistake when he kept on until
midnight. He ought to have stopped at II
O'Clock, and there would have been no &C.
cident. If Paul might have gone on to too
great length, let all those ofus who are now
preaching the gospel remember that there
is a limit to religious discourse, or ought to
be, and that in our time we have no apostle
lie power of miracles.
Napoleon in an address of seven minutes
thrilled his army, and thrilled Europe.
Christ's sermon on the Mount, the model
sermon, was less than eighteen minutes
long at ordinary mode of delivery. 1t is
not electricity scattered all over the sky
that strikes, but electricity gathered into a
thunderbolt and hurled, and it is not re-
ligious truth scattered over, spread out
over a vast reach of time, but religious
truth projected in compact form that flashes
light upon the soul and rives its indiffer-
ence.
When the religious discourse of the fu-
ture arrives in this land and in the Chris
tian Church, the discourse which is to
arouse the world and startle the nations, and
usher in the kingdom, it will be brief
discourse. Hear it all theological students,
all We Just entering upon religious work, all
We men and women who in Sabbath-schools
and other departments are toiling for Christ
and the salvation of immortals. Brevity!
Brevity!
But I remark, also, that the religious dis
course of the future Of which speak will
be popular discourse. There are those in
these times who speak of a popular sermon
as through there must be something wrong
about it. AS these critics are dull them
selves the world gets the impression that a
sermon is good improportion as it is stupid.
Christ was the most popular preacher the
world ever saw, and considering the small
number of the worlds population had the
largest audiences ever gathered. He never
preached anywhere without making great
sensation. People rushed out in the wilder
ness to hear Him, reckless of their physical
necessities. So great was their anxiety to
hear Christ that, taking no food with them,
they would have tainted and starved had not
Christ performed miracle and fed them.
Why did so many people take the truth
at Christ's hands? Because they all under
stood it. He illustrated his subject by hen
and her chickens. by a bushel measure, by
a l1ly's aroma. All the people knew what
He meant and they flocked to Him. And
when the religious discourse of the future
appears, it will not be Princetonian, not
Rochesterian, not Andoverian, not Middle
tonian, but Olivetic-plain, practical, uni
que, earnest, comprehensive of all the woes,
wants, sins, sOrroWs, and necessities of an
auditory.
But when that eXhOrtatiOn or discourse
does come there will be thousand, gleam-
ing scimetars to charge on it. There are in
so many theological seminaries professors
telling young men how to preach, them.
selves not knowing how, and am told that
if young man in some of our theological
seminaries says anything quaint or thrill
ing or unique, faculty and students fly at
him and set him right, and straighten him
out, and smooth him down, and chop him
off. until he says everything just as every.
body else says it.
Oh, when the future religious discourse
of the Christian Church arrives, all the
churches of Christ in our great cities will
be thronged. The world wants spiritual
help. All who have buried their dead
want comfort All know themselves to be
mortal and to be immortal, and they want
to hear about the great future. l tell you,
my friends, if the people of our great cities
who have had trouble only thought they
could get practical and sympathetic help in
the Christian Church, there would not be a
street in New York, or Brooklyn, or Chi
cago, or Charleston, or Philadelphia, or
Boston, which would be passable on the
Sabbath day if there were a church on it !;
for all the people would press to that asy-
lum of mercy, that great house of comfort
and consolation.
A mother with dead babe in her arms
came to the God Veda, and asked to have
her child restored to life. The God Veda
said to her; "You go and get handful of
mustard seed from house in which there
has been no sorrow, and in which there has
been no death, and will restore your child
to life." So the mother went out, and she
went from house to house, and from home
to home, looking for a place where sthere
had been no sorrow and where there had
been no death, but she found none. She
went back to the God Veda and said I: ''My
OF &c fnt tly1ya I houn uny,ff
brought the mustard seed can't find a
no DEATH" ''Oh," says the God .Veda
understand your sorrows are no worse
than the SORROWS of others ; we all have
our griefs, and all have our heart-breaks. !"
Laugh and the world laughs with you.
Weep, aud you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough ofits own.
We hear great deal of discussion now
all over the land about why people do not
go to church. Some say it is because Chris
tianity is dying out, and because people do
not believe in the truth of Gods Word,
and all that. They are false reasons. The
reason is because our sermons and exhorta-
tions are not interesting, and practical and
helpful Some one might as well tell the
whole truth on this subject, and so 1 will
tell it. The religious discourse of the
| future, the Gospel sermon to come forth
and shake the nations and lift the people
out of darkness, will be a popular sermon,
Just for the simple reason that it will meet
the woes and the wants and the anxieties
Of the people.
There are in all our denominations &c.
clesiastical mummies sitting around to
frown upon the fresh young pulpits Of
| America, to try to awe them down, to cry
out, s'Tut tut tut ! Sensational I" They
stand to-day preaching in churches that
hold thousand people, and there are a
hundred persons present, and if they can.
not have the world saved in their way, it
seems as if they do not want it saved al
all.